Pope Leo XIV Warns Unregulated AI Puts Jobs and Workers’ Dignity at Risk

Pope Leo XIV warned during his visit to Argentina that the unchecked use of artificial intelligence and automation could put countless jobs at risk. In remarks directed at President Javier Milei and Argentina’s political leadership, he urged governments to weigh technological change against its consequences for workers and make access to employment a priority.

His comments came as Milei’s government pursues sweeping economic reforms, including cuts to public spending, in an effort to curb inflation and restructure Argentina’s economy. Argentina is one of three stops on the pope’s 12-day apostolic journey through Latin America, which also covers Uruguay and Peru.

An Algorithm Cannot Replace Human Judgement

Writing on X during the visit, Leo said unregulated automation could threaten livelihoods and undermine human development. “Technology must always be subject to ethics; an algorithm cannot replace human discernment or a worker’s value,” he said.

The pope said access to work should be a priority when governments draw up public policy and when businesses make economic decisions. He argued that whether people can find work should be one measure of how well an economic model serves them.

A Warning for Businesses That Put Profit First

Leo also addressed business leaders and financial institutions, warning that companies risk excluding people when they judge success solely by profit. “When economic profit is established as the sole criterion of success, a business becomes dehumanised and turns into a structure of sin that generates exclusion,” he wrote.

He called on business leaders to invest in ways that protect the dignity of work and the environment, and to judge financial success by what it contributes to the common good. That responsibility, he said, extends to communities least able to bear the costs of economic change and to future generations.

“True progress is not what increases the wellbeing of some by degrading ecosystems, shifting costs onto the most disadvantaged communities, or compromising the living conditions of those who will follow us,” he added.

With inputs from ANI